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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23936827">Icing on Top</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewithmereylo/pseuds/bewithmereylo'>bewithmereylo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Reylo - Freeform, Reylo Week 2020, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, they're so soft and cute and AODSJFOASD, this is so fluffy my GOD, wedding cake tasting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:13:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,775</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23936827</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewithmereylo/pseuds/bewithmereylo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey Johnson is a newbie in town and is trying to complete her bucket list.  Todays' item?  Wedding Cake Tasting with a complete stranger.  She discovers Ben Solo, big corporate grump who can't get away from his work, and decides to choose him as her partner for the day.  She finds out that he's sweeter than all the red velvet in the world.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>240</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Galactic Idiots Collection, REYLO WEEK 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Icing on Top</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is for @galacticidiots and her sadness at the lack of wedding cake tasting AU's, as well for Day 4 of Reylo Week: Modern AU.  Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>No amount of coffee was going to wake Ben up enough to finish this report.  It wasn’t even ten in the morning yet and he had downed three cups and was working on the fourth.  He arrived five minutes after opening, eliciting a groan from the baristas.  However, ordering straight black coffee was easier than the diabetes-inducing madness that most people bought, so they gave him the fourth cup for free.</p><p>He couldn’t keep his leg from bouncing under the table and continued hitting his knee against the underside, caffeine and anxiety building up.  Ben could hear Snoke berating him in his office Monday morning when he would show up with an unfinished report.  He hated his job, but the security he felt from having so much money outweighed it (on most days).  Quitting was always an option, something Hux mentioned frequently so he could move into his position, but Ben stayed exclusively for the way that Hux glared at him every morning when he walked into his much, much bigger office.</p><p>Ben heard the <em>ding</em> from the door of the café open behind him and continued to stare at his laptop, catching a whiff of the women’s perfume from open doorway.  Honeysuckle with nodes of old books, he noticed, shrugging it off and turning his music up a notch.  Her voice was too chipper for this time in the morning as she ordered a sugary concoction from the counter.  Ben rolled his eyes, wondering how half of the people in this room haven’t gone into insulin shock from their drinks.</p><p>He smelled the perfume again, this time stronger than before.  Before he could process what was happening, someone had sat down across from him and Ben was smacked across the face with the scent of honeysuckle.</p><p>Frozen in his seat, fingers hovering over the keyboard, he took his earbuds out and look at the woman across from him.  She was pushing her dark hair out of her eyes and looking at her phone, smiling at something that popped up on it.  Her smile was so big that Ben felt his lips curl slightly, just the sight of her smile bringing joy to his miserable morning.  An air of familiarity followed her, but Ben couldn’t place where he would have seen her previously.  She took a sip of her fruity drink topped with whipped cream before locking her eyes on his.  </p><p>“Hey, stranger.”</p><p>He was not expecting the accent, nor the way her voice made his brain turn to mush with just two simple words.  Ben closed the laptop lid slightly and continued to watch her, still bewildered at why she was there.</p><p>Apparently, he took too long to respond as her smile fell slightly at his silence.  She reached across the table and closed his laptop the rest of the way, then held out her hand for him to shake.  “Names Rey.”</p><p>That woke him up from his daze as he took her hand, marveling at how small it felt in his.  “Ben.”</p><p>“Amazing, he speaks,” Rey laughed, mixing the whipped cream into her drink.  “I have a proposition for you, Ben.”</p><p>“A proposition…?” he asked, shoving his foot underneath his leg to keep it from hitting the table once again.</p><p>“Mhmm,” she hummed, fixing the sleeve on her yellow sundress.  The dress seemed to make her smile radiate even more and Ben was at risk of going blind because of it.  “See, I am currently working through a very extensive bucket list that involves some very <em>daring</em> tasks.”  Rey reached into her purse and brought out a notepad covered with fluorescent colors and decorated in stickers.  </p><p>Ben felt he needed both his prescription glasses and sunglasses to even take a gander at the notepad.  What he could see were very innocent items, such as <em>have dinner alone</em>, <em>Segway through Old City</em>; the more daunting items included <em>bungee jumping</em> and <em>discover lost treasure of Atlantis</em>.</p><p>“I don’t think that one is going to be possible,” he said absentmindedly, pointing at the last item on the first page.</p><p>“It’s a bucket list, not a to-do list.”  Rey took the notepad from him and flipped to the third page, pointing about halfway down.  “<em>This</em> is my task for today.”</p><p>Ben did need his glasses to see her tiny scribbles.  He pushed them down from the top of his head and squinted.  “<em>Wedding cake tasting</em>,” Ben read out loud.  He glanced down at her hand, noticing her ring finger to be absent of any jewelry.  “But… you aren’t engaged.”</p><p>“Nuh-uh.”</p><p>“Boyfriend?”</p><p>“Nope.”</p><p>“Why not ask a friend?”</p><p>“Where’s the fun in that?” </p><p>“Uh, I don’t know, actually knowing the person is pretty exciting.”</p><p>Rey frowned again and Ben cursed in his head at making her upset.  She had been nothing but nice to him and here he was shutting down her mad but brilliant idea.  Her arms were crossed, slightly defensive, but otherwise relaxed.  “I just moved here, and while I do have friends, they are all terribly busy on this oh-so wonderful Saturday.  It was either the weird bloke from down the hall or ask a stranger, and the latter is <em>way</em> more enticing.”</p><p>“I suppose…” he trailed off, fidgeting with his glasses.  </p><p>She smiled as she stood up, depositing her empty cup into the trash can as she left the café.  “I’m taking that as a yes.  Let’s go, our first appointment is at ten.”  </p><p>Ben felt positively discombobulated, not sure what to do with his stuff and his half empty mug of boring coffee.  He had just met this woman, and she wanted him to go spend the day with her… tasting wedding cakes?  Ben pinched his arm quick, just to make sure he wasn’t in a fever dream from the lack of sleep he was getting from Snoke.  He was both disappointed and excited to find that he was wide awake, and Rey was waving to him from the window.  </p><p>Ben sighed as he wrapped up the laptop into his backpack and followed Rey out, squinting at the sun.  She was beckoning him on, but he was rooted to the spot right outside the door.  He felt apprehension at this very random turn of events, but also thrilled to forget about Snoke for a few hours and eat some very unhealthy cake with this gorgeous woman who, for some odd reason, found him to be the perfect person to do this with.  <em>What the hell was going on?</em></p><p>“Ben, come on!”</p><p>“Rey, I shouldn’t, I have work-”</p><p>“Who works on a Saturday?”</p><p>She got him there.  “Me.  I have this stupid report due Monday-”</p><p>“That’s two days away.”  Rey walked closer to him and took his hand gently.  “I knew we just met, like, five seconds ago, but I can tell you need a break.”  She backed away and yanked on his arm, sending him flying forward, surprised at her strength.  “Have some fun for once!”  </p><p>On any other day, with any other person, he would’ve just turned around, put his headphones back in, and finished the report.  His muscles felt tight in his neck and he had been clenching his jaw for far too long to even entertain the idea of sitting down for hours on end again.  So, he grabbed his sunglasses from his pocket and walked with Rey to their first destination.  </p><p>Rey was beaming at him, swinging her hand that Ben noticed very much still in his.  “I’m so glad, you agreed, I was <em>so</em> scared you were going to run.”</p><p>“Me too,” he admitted.  He let go of her for a moment to shrug off his jacket; he needed it in the café since he sat underneath the air conditioner, but outside in the dead of summer he was already dripping in sweat.  “So, what’s our story?”</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>“Like, what are we gonna tell the bakers at these places?”  It was a legitimate question.  In the time it took Ben to decide whether or not he was agreeing to Rey’s plan, she switched one of the rings on her fingers to her ring finger.  It looked like an engagement ring, and he wondered whether or not it was at one point in time.</p><p>Rey let out a puff of air.  “Huh.  Honestly, I didn’t think I’d get this far.”</p><p>Ben had to laugh.  She was so confident in her proposal to Ben but didn’t think she’d even get a positive reaction.  “You spent all that time trying to get me to come along with you and have appointments scheduled all day, but you don’t have a plan?”</p><p>Rey shrugged, squeezing his hand.  <em>When did that get back there?</em>  “I <em>did</em> make up a story about how my fiancé left me moments before cake tasting so that they would still let me eat the cake, but only because I thought that was more probable.”</p><p>“How about this: we’ve been dating for three years, engaged for two months.  How old are you?”</p><p>“21?”</p><p><em>21</em>.  Jesus Christ she was young; a whole <em>eight years</em> younger.  He felt himself starting to sweat again and popped open the top button of his flannel to give himself space to breathe.  “Well… can’t say we met at college because I’m older.  How about…”</p><p>“A coffee shop?” Rey suggested.</p><p>He relaxed his grip in her hand and nodded.  “A coffee shop works fine.”</p><p>“We can just work out the kinks later, ‘cause we’re here!”  She spread her arms wide in the direction of a small cupcake shop tucked away in the southern-most party of the city.  “Apparently this place has <em>to die for</em> red velvet.”</p><p>“Is that so?”</p><p>She paused at the door, turning to gaze up at him for a moment.  “You aren’t allergic to anything, right?  Peanuts, gluten-”</p><p>“No, no you’re good.”  </p><p>“Awesome.  Well…”  She reached for his hand and brought him into the small store.  “Let’s go, <em>babe</em>.”</p><p>The shop was so small his head almost hit the ceiling, but the decadent smell of frosting and freshly baked cake made up for it.  Surprisingly, he could still smell Rey over everything else, and wondered if there was such a thing as honeysuckle icing.  She took everything in at once, flying around the store to look at the cupcakes decorated in fun colors and characters.  Rey was particularly interested in one that looked like a sunflower when he heard commotion towards the back.  </p><p>A short woman wearing a colorfully stained apron came around the counter to the couple.  “You must be Rey.  And, I didn’t catch your name over the phone…”</p><p>“Ben, this is Ben,” Rey answered, squeezing his bicep, sending a chill up his spine.</p><p>“Oh, what a lovely couple!  I’m Maz, I own the shop.  Please, take a seat, I’ll bring out the tray.”</p><p>The two sat across from one another at the lone table in the shop.  Ben deposited his backpack next to him and watched Rey fawn over a display cake that looked like Cookie Monster.  He caught himself staring and turned his attention to the tray of cupcakes coming their direction.  The owner placed the samples in front of them and a rating sheet, dismissing herself to leave the two alone.</p><p><em>Act natural, act natural…</em>  “So, which one would you like to try first, sweetheart?”  Ben stumbled over his words, trying to sound as romantic as possible.  </p><p>Was Rey blushing?  “Hmm, how about this one?”  She pointed at a cupcake with florescent pink icing, hiding the flavor of the cake underneath.</p><p>“I thought this was a cake tasting, not a competition for how much icing we can stack on,” he whispered as she took off the wrapping, revealing it to be some kind of chocolate.</p><p>“It is.”</p><p>“That pile of pure sugar on top says otherwise.”</p><p>“I didn’t realize I was marrying such a Scrooge.”</p><p>He winced involuntarily at her comment, hoping she wouldn’t notice.  It’s not that he didn’t like her; if anything, the more time he spent with her the more he was beginning to adore her.  But due to their age difference and, she said it herself, he was a grump, she would never be interested in Ben.  So, he soaked up the time he was going to spend with her today and acted as best as he could.</p><p>“Are you having regrets, soon-to-be Miss Solo?”</p><p>“Absolutely not.”  Rey looked side to side before leaning in closer.  “Your last name is Solo?”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Huh.”  </p><p>Ben didn’t question her any further, not wanting to make anything suspicious.  She shrugged and began to pick apart the first cupcake, pinching some of the cake and bringing it to her mouth.  Instantly, Ben could tell that she wasn’t a fan.  Her lips curled down and her nose scrunched up, and Rey was having trouble even swallowing the small piece she ate.</p><p>“That bad?”</p><p>Rey finally got it down and drank some water, the look of disgust plastered all over her face.  “They’re so… <em>dry</em>.”</p><p>Ben took a piece for himself and had much of the same reaction that Rey did.  While he wasn’t a connoisseur of cakes and sweets like Rey seemed to be, he knew when someone forgot to add an ingredient or two.  There was only one bottle of water at the table and he went for it before remembering that Rey just drank out of it.</p><p>“Sorry-”</p><p>“It’s okay.”  Rey downed the rest of the water before scratching a hard <em>no</em> into the slot next to chocolate on the score sheet.</p><p>“I think they forgot milk, and eggs… or all the liquid ingredients.”</p><p>“This place had such high reviews…”  Rey looked incredibly disappointed, enough that Ben sympathized with her.  He could see her shoulders dropping and her bright smile fade as she stared at the destroyed chocolate cupcake in front of her.</p><p>He reached across the table and took her hand, softly stroking his thumb over her ring finger.  “Maybe it was just that flavor.”</p><p>But it wasn’t; every single cupcake that they tried was dryer than the Sahara Desert and the icing was so sweet even Rey couldn’t stomach it.  They made small talk in between flavors to give their stomach a break, but when Rey tried to taste the last cupcake, Ben stopped her.</p><p>“If you eat anymore, you’re gonna get sick.”</p><p>“I feel bad though.”</p><p>“I know, I feel it too.”  Ben got up and went to find the shopkeeper.  Maz was sitting in the back playing a game on her phone, not paying attention to the figure coming in the doorway.</p><p>“Hey, my fiancée, she’s feeling rather sick, so we’re going to-”</p><p>“Oh no!  I hope she’s not pregnant or has the stomach flu!  Very bad for marriage.”  She popped up out of her chair and ushered Ben out, whisking away the cupcake tray.  “You have my contact information; I hope you consider choosing our bakery.”  </p><p>Rey muttered a quick thanks before snatching Ben’s hand and dragging him out of the shop.  They book took in a deep breath of air, realizing about halfway through their visit just how nauseating the shop actually smelled.</p><p>“I never want to eat another cupcake ever again.”</p><p>Ben’s head shot up, not believing a single word she said.  “Oh no, you’re the one who dragged me out here, we are <em>finishing</em> what you started.”</p><p>Instead of replying with a sarcastic comment, Rey smiled softly at him, squeezing his hand.  “I guess you’re right.  Good thing there’s only one left.”</p><p>“You only booked two?  You made it seem like it was going to a full day of sugar coma after sugar coma.”</p><p>“It is wedding season, Benjamin Solo, I did what I could.”</p><p>He shuddered at hearing his full name roll of his tongue, reveling in the way her accent emphasized the last name.  They walked towards the nearest metro station and hopped on a train headed for Center City.</p><p>*****</p><p>Within five seconds of stepping food into this bakery, Ben could tell that neither of them belonged.  </p><p>Rey had mentioned on the way here that while she could only book two places that day, they were both the highest rated bakeries in Philadelphia (though he was suspicious of the last place receiving such high praise).  The first bakery, while shitty in its baking, the atmosphere felt homey, and the lone woman at the bakery made Ben feel comfortable in seconds.  They had an hour to kill before the next session, so he did his research on this one to make sure they wouldn’t be getting sick again while Rey got a soft pretzel for them to share from a street vendor.  While he was joyful to not see many negative reviews about their flavors, one look at the exterior made him nervous about being inside.</p><p>Unlike the last place, the ceiling towered over him, chandelier after chandelier adorning the ceiling, sending a yellowish glow around the front of the store.  The displays were full of expertly decorated cakes and pies with precision so professional he was sure they were in a place featured in <em>Cupcake Wars</em>.   </p><p>Of course, Rey took no notice, and squealed with joy the moment she opened the door.  She twirled around and her dress went with her, brushing up against Ben’s leg as she darted around the store, taking every little detail to heart.  “Ben, look, this one looks so real!”</p><p>She was pointing to a cake with life-like pink roses, the vines stretching around the base of the cake.  Ben wrapped his arms around her to get a closer look, and while she jumped at the initial contact, Ben felt her ease herself into him.  It felt so easy, to be with her, that Ben was wondering when it stopped being an act and started becoming much more real.</p><p>“Excuse me, how can I help you?”  </p><p>The two turned, shocked that they had to continue looking upwards, at the extremely tall woman walking out from behind the counter.  She was taller than Ben, not by much, but enough that Rey moved slightly behind Ben.  </p><p>“We’re here to try cakes, for our wedding,” Rey said sheepishly.  </p><p>She turned her attention away from Rey and extended a hand towards Ben first.  “I’m Phasma, I’ll be assisting you two today.”</p><p>She had a firm handshake and Ben returned it in earnest, recognizing the strong grip of a businesswoman.  If he was at his office this type of exchange would be welcome, but in a bakery?  This was supposed to be a more relaxed environment; tensions are high with wedding planning usually, as Ben had to deal with being the best man in not one but <em>three</em> weddings just this past year, only asked by default because of how social he was.  While he did know a bunch of people, was he close with any of them?  Absolutely not.</p><p>Phasma moved to Rey and shook her hand, Rey being a little too enthusiastic with hers.  “Rey, and this is Ben, my-”</p><p>“Please follow me, let’s get started, I have four more appointments today.”</p><p>Phasma sat them in a small room off to the side of the main displays.  Rey relaxed against the couch, Ben reaching to put an arm around her to help her get comfortable.  </p><p>“I’m having fun, are you?” he asked.</p><p>“Besides having to scrape the taste of sugar off my tongue with an overpriced soft pretzel, I’m having a grand time.”  Rey gave him a peck on the cheek; Ben wished he turned at the last sentence to catch her lips on his.  He didn’t want to hide the attraction anymore; let him be damned that he caught feelings for her so quickly, but the way she smiled at him like he was the most important person in the world his brain was essentially <em>screaming</em> at him to tell her how he felt.</p><p>“Rey, I-”</p><p>“Okay, you two, here’s the first set for you to try.”  Phasma set out a silver tray with eight small bowls filled to the brim with cake, a small sample of icing next to them.  “There’s two of each flavor: chocolate, marble, vanilla, and red velvet.  Please use the utensils and napkins provided and do be cordial; I can hear everything out there.”</p><p>She left them to it and Rey immediately went for the red velvet.  “Would you kill me if I ate yours, too?  This is nowhere near enough for the both of us to have enough.”</p><p>“Aw, come on, is that seriously not enough?”  The bowls were about the size of a fist, and while Ben could eat two easily, he wasn’t sure if Rey could with how small she was.</p><p>Rey sighed, tilting his chin with her fingers to make him look at her.  “I’ll be honest, I grew up hungry most days, so my body has an insatiable need for food.  And this-”  She held up the two bowls of red velvet.  “-is my ultimate weakness.”</p><p>He felt his heart sink in his chest at her comment.  She felt comfortable enough to admit this to him, and he didn’t exactly know how to reply to such a heart-wrenching fact she had to deal with.  While they were in the shops, she turned on the charm to make it more believable, going out of her way to kiss his cheek or wrap her tiny arms around his large frame, but her vulnerability felt more intimate than anything.  “I’m sorry, Rey.”</p><p> She waved him off.  “Eh, it’s in the past.  What matters now is our future together.”  Their moment was gone, and she started scooping pieces of red velvet cake into her mouth.  Ben watched her as the spoon went past her lips, letting out a moan of contentment.  She fell back against the couch, eyes closed and humming with pleasure</p><p>“Good?”</p><p>“Good?  This is like, a gift from <em>God himself</em>.”  She leaned back up and stretched to see in the hallway.  “Yo, Phasma!  The red velvet, what’s in this?”  No response.  “She seems a little stuck up for a baker, don’t you think?”</p><p>Ben shrugged and started going for the other cup of red velvet, receiving a slap on the wrist from Rey.  “Hey!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I thought we were sharing?”</p><p>“Yes, we’re sharing the other flavors.  I may never get another chance at eating this decadent shit ever again and I’m going to <em>enjoy it</em>.”</p><p>“Well, that’s just unfair.  I’m a little mad, actually.”  When Rey wasn’t looking, Ben dipped his finger into the strawberry icing on the tray, originally to taste it but found it a new purpose.  He proceeded to smear her nose with the icing, enjoying the shocked face he gave her.</p><p>“Ben Solo!”</p><p>“Yes, sweetheart?”</p><p>“Oh, you’re gonna pay for what you did.”  Rey took a chunk of the vanilla cake and chucked it gently at Ben’s face, whatever didn’t stick fall to the floor.  They both glanced at the doorway to make sure Phasma wasn’t nearby, then took off to other sides of the room, pieces of cake and handfuls of icing ready for battle.</p><p>He knew that they were most likely going to be kicked out for this, but the thrill of the moment was too good to ignore, and Ben let himself have fun for the first time in what felt like years. </p><p>“You’re going… fuck, what’s your last name?”</p><p>Rey laughed, moving to hide behind a potted plant.  “Johnson.”</p><p>“You’re going down, <em>Johnson</em>.”</p><p>Rey squealed as Ben flung some marbled cake at her, splattering all over her dress.  She grew bold and ran straight for him, streaking chocolate icing down his face.  He yelped and grabbed her around the waist so she couldn’t run as he swiped up more icing and covered her nose and cheeks in bright pink icing.  They were laughing at each other so hard they didn’t notice the towering figure in the doorway.</p><p>“How <em>dare</em> you?  This is going to take days to clean up, and we have another client at four!”  Phasma’s face was so bright red that it was almost comical.  Rey bit back a laugh and Ben tickled her sides to get her to explode.  </p><p>Phasma took in the state of the room and pointed towards the front door.  “Out.”</p><p>“Jeez, it’s just cupcakes,” Ben mumbled under his breath.  Apparently Phasma heard that and repeated herself louder this time.  He grabbed his backpack and Rey’s sweater, making sure to avoid eye contact, and ran out of the store with his arm around Rey’s waist.</p><p>She was laughing as Phasma slammed the door behind them, beginning to brush pieces of cake off her dress.  “Oh god, did you see the look on her face?”</p><p>“It was priceless!  She must have a stick up her ass, I swear.”  He licked his lips and tasted the icing she assaulted his face with.  </p><p>“Yeah.”  She gazed up at his face, pushing a piece of hair out of his eyes.  “Did you have fun?”</p><p>“I did, yeah.  In fact,” he began, taking her waist and pulling her closer.  “I’d like to help you out with the rest of that list, if you’d like.”</p><p>“Are you asking me out, Ben Solo?”</p><p>“If you’d like me to, then absolutely.”</p><p>She didn’t answer him, looking down to the street.  “I have to tell you something.”</p><p>He stroked her cheek and brought her up to face him.  “What’s that?”</p><p>“You weren’t some random stranger.  I work in HR at First Order, I just started two weeks ago.”</p><p><em>That’s</em> where he knew her from.  She been sitting next to the old head of HR, presumably for training, when he went in to put in a report about Hux.  He only got a glance at her as she was deep in a stack of paperwork, filing it for Snoke to rip apart later.  </p><p>“And, I think you’re cute and wanted to get to know you better, but I suck at communication, and friends, but what I’m trying to say is that…”  She took a deep breath and finally looked at him in the eyes.  “I really like you.  Like, a lot.  And, yes this is part of my bucket list, but it was one I wanted to spend with you, exclusively.”</p><p>He could almost laugh at how surreal this all seemed.  Ben hadn’t believed in love since his parents sent him away to a school for troubled youth, but with the icing slowly melting off his face and with Rey’s soft green eyes looking at him with the most beautiful emotion, he could warm up to it again.  </p><p>“Can I kiss you?”</p><p>As soon as he saw her nod Ben kissed her softly, reveling in the way her lips felt against his.  He could taste chocolate icing on her mouth, and it mixed with the strawberry on his.  He felt like he was floating, that if the world ended at this exact moment, he would be fine with it so long as he could keep kissing her.  </p><p>Their foreheads touched afterwards, Ben lightly rubbing his nose against hers.  “I really like you too.”</p><p>*****</p><p>Years later, when Rey has a real engagement ring on her finger (she told him later that the one she wore that day was from a gumball machine), Ben goes searching for the perfect bakery for their wedding cake.  He ignores the towering bakery in Center City with its still pristine window displays and averts his eyes at the smaller shop with a foreclosure sign in the window.  He does stop, however, at one that he’s been avoiding.  </p><p>He pushes open the door to Naberrie Cupcakes and immediately finds the one person he’s been wanting to see for all these years.</p><p>“Hey, kid.”</p><p>*****</p><p>He leaves with the world’s best red velvet recipe, ready to make his own cake for Rey as a preview for their wedding day.  </p><p>Ben locks her in their bedroom with a movie so she isn’t tempted to taste the batter.  Once he completes the cake, finishing it off with cream cheese icing, he releases her.  She darts under his arms and immediately takes a spoonful of the cake.  He panics as she stops chewing on the first bite.</p><p>“Is there… something wrong?”</p><p>Tears prick at her eyes, he notices, and he takes the spoon out of hand and replaces it with his own.  “No.  I… just really love you.  You went out of your way to make that for me and-” </p><p>“I do it because I love you Rey.  You deserve the whole world Rey, red velvet cake included.”</p><p>At the end of the day, they let the cake sit on the counter, preferring the taste of each other to any sweets in the world.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You can find me on Tumblr at @bewithmereylo :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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